"...for my house will be called a house of prayer for all peoples." Isaiah 56:7

"O Lord,...you have been pleased to bless this house of your servant, so that it will always remain. It is you, O Lord, who blessed it, and it will be blessed forever." 1 Chr 17: 26-27

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“From here in Ephesus, a city blessed by the presence of Mary Most Holy — who we know is loved and venerated also by Muslims - let us lift up to the Lord a special prayer for peace between peoples.” - Pope Benedict XVI, Papal Homily at "Mary's House" in Ephesus, Turkey, November 29, 2006

Tell me about Sr.Marie and this Foundation!

OK! Watch the RomeReports Film to your right. Then view our Foundation Filmjust below it for a glimpse into the inspiring and hopefilled Cause of Sr. Marie. (Reading material below DONATE button.)

Virtual Tour of Mary's House

Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal ~ Paris, France

Parents of Archbishop Giuseppe G. Bernardini, OFM, Cap.

Prayers for the Beatification of the Servants of God
Sergio Bernardini and Domenica Bedonni
EnglishSpanishRecall that Arch. Bernardini is the one to give the Imprimatur to the Prayer for Sister Marie's Beatification!

Monday, October 11, 2010

excerpt:"Dear friends," Benedict XVI concluded, "we know how much the Virgin Mary is loved and venerated by our brothers and sisters of the Middle East. All look to her as a thoughtful mother, close to every suffering, and as a star of hope.

Does this not remind you of our Holy Father's invitation to peace offered at Mary's House in Ephesus on November 29, 2006? See his words in blue in the tool bar to the left. Hearing Pope Benedict's use of the word "star," I cannot help but thinking of Sister Marie's biography soon to be shared with the world entitled A Guiding Star. Fr. Schulte, author of A Guiding Star, refers to Sister Marie as "a guiding star" leading God's children to the safety of Mary's House, a symbol of Her Heart. This is our hope! Mary always leads us to her Son Jesus who saves.

Rome, Italy, Oct 10, 2010 / 07:54 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Holy Father entrusted the Synod for the Middle East to Mary's intercession so that the region grows in communion and bears witness to the Gospel message. He welcomed the first day of the two-week Special Assembly for the Middle East, asking also for prayers that it be accompanied by the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

The Pope prayed the Angelus from his apartment window high above St. Peter's Square after having celebrated the opening Mass of the much-awaited Synod of Middle Eastern bishops.

Ushering in the beginning of the "extraordinary" event, he said that the Church "is called to be a sign and instrument of unity and reconciliation" in the region, which is "unfortunately marked by profound divisions and lacerated by age-old conflicts."

It is not a simple task, Benedict XVI explained, as Christians in the area are often subject to very difficult conditions on personal, family and community levels. But, he said, "this should not discourage. It is in that context that the perennial message of Christ resounds most necessarily and urgently: "Repent, and believe in the Gospel."

He invited all people to pray for an "abundant effusion of the gifts of the Holy Spirit" over synod activities.

Noting the importance of the Rosary during the Marian month of October, which is also called the "Month of the Rosary," the Pope said that "we are called to allow ourselves to be guided by Mary in this ancient and always new prayer, which is especially dear to her because it guides us directly to Jesus."

Reminded of John Paul II's words that the Rosary is a "biblical prayer," Pope Benedict added that it is a "prayer of the heart, in which the repetition of the 'Hail Mary' orients thoughts and affection to Christ.”

"It is a prayer that helps one to meditate on the Word of God and to assimilate Eucharistic communion, on the model of Mary who held in her heart all that Jesus did and said, and his very presence," he explained.

"Dear friends," Benedict XVI concluded, "we know how much the Virgin Mary is loved and venerated by our brothers and sisters of the Middle East. All look to her as a thoughtful mother, close to every suffering, and as a star of hope.

"To her intercession we entrust the Synodal Assembly that opens today, so that Christians of the region are reinforced in communion and might bear witness to the entire Gospel of love and peace."

Mini Bio of Sr. Marie by Carl Schutle, C.M.

Sister Marie de Mandat-Grancey, Daughter of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, was born of a noble and holy family in the Diocese of Dijon, France on September 13, 1839. She desired from a young age to serve God with all her heart and answered her vocation. (Postulant, May 27, 1857, First Vows, September 27, 1862.) At the end of her second assignment in France she was inspired to find the House of Mary in Ephesus, Turkey. At that time Pope Leo XIII requested missionary assistance in Asia Minor. Sister Marie responded.

In 1886 she served as the French Naval Hospital in Smyrna, Turkey, and was appointed Superior in 1890. While in Smyrna she encouraged as expedition to find the House of Mary, Mother of Jesus, headed by Vincentian Priests. On July 29, 1891, Mary’s House, built by St. John the Apostle, was discovered. Archaeologists identified the ruins of a 1st century A.D. house with a Church from the 4th century A.D. having been built over it. On October 21, 1891, Sister Marie received permission from Fr. Fiat (Superior of the Vincentians) to purchase the property in her name which occurred on November 15, 1892. Sister Marie restored the House making it a place of pilgrimage for all people, especially Christians and Muslims. During restoration, three stones from the hearth, built by the Apostles, were found. One of these stones (cornerstone) was given to the de Mandat-Grancey Family Chapel in France to confirm her holy life, work, and devotion to God and the Blessed Virgin Mary, uniquely identifying Sister Marie with this primitive Apostolic community.

All of our recent Popes have visited the House: Pope Paul VI on July 26, 1967, Pope John Paul II celebrated Mass November 30, 1979, and Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Mass on November 29, 2006. Sister Marie lived a life of detachment, dedication, virtue, obedience, and charity; she died on May 31, 1915. Her Cause of Beatification was opened on January 21, 2011.

We encourage all promoters to download, print, copy and bind any articles, booklets, or leaflets found on our website –www.sistermarie.com- for non commercial distribution. Non English speaking promoters may have any article or leaflet faithfully translated into their local language for the purpose of advancing promotion for the opening of the cause for the beatification of Sister Marie.